Three strikes appeals will be free

A bit more detail about the implementation of the Digital Economy Act's "three-strikes" system has been unveiled by the British government's Department for Business, Innovation & Skills.

Most notably, it seems that those accused of filesharing will not be charged to appeal claims made against them -- an important concession for consumer rights, given how happy big content companies have proven to be to fire off copyright infringement claims.

There've been fears in the British web community that accused people would be far less likely to appeal any internet ban if it would cost them. If that had happened, the accuracy of the conviction rate would be at risk of being erroneously inflated (assuming at least some of those who appealed would be innocent), and the take-up of broadband services could be stunted.

The department also confirmed that the costs of operating the three-strikes scheme would be split between the ISPs and the rights holders on a 25/75 basis, meaning that the content owners will pay the majority of the costs. Both sides were lobbying for their share to be lower, with the rights holders claiming that ISPs profit from filesharing, but the ISPs pointing out that file-sharers tend to use the most bandwidth.

However, what's not yet clear is exactly what that price will actually be, becuase Ofcom hasn't yet published the final details of how the system will work. Until that occurs, knowing the split percentages isn't terribly helpful.